Remember the last time Buffalo was here?

The Bills' upset of the Broncos in 2008 was a catalyst for change in Denver's organization.

December 21, 2008. That was the last time the Buffalo Bills were here in Denver, and is date that altered the course of Broncos history.

Let’s go back, shall we?

All the Broncos needed to do was beat the Bills on that frigid December afternoon to clinch the AFC West title and a spot in the playoffs. Instead, the Bills pulled off the upset, 30-23, sending the Broncos to a defacto one-game playoff with the Chargers to win the division.

The Broncos were blown out the next week in San Diego, and Mike Shanahan was fired two days later. Then Josh McDaniels was hired, and Jay Cutler was traded, and the Broncos started 6-0 and finished 2-8, and Tim Tebow was drafted, and the Broncos finished 4-12 and McDaniels was fired. Phew.

Would any of those things have happened had the Broncos won that game on Dec. 21, 2008?

Here’s what I remember about that game:

• Jay Cutler threw an interception at the goal line in the fourth quarter, and had another pass broken up on fourth down in the red zone. The Broncos were 2-of-6 in the red zone.

• The Broncos starting running back was P.J. Pope. (Actually, I didn’t remember that. I had to look it up.) But the leading rusher was Eddie Royal, who took an end-around 71 yards.

• Matt Prater missed a 54-yard field goal right before halftime.

• It was the coldest game I have ever been to (17 degrees at kickoff, and it felt colder), and the second-coldest in team history.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.